Sanders faces brunt of the attacks at South Carolina debate

And former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg pointed to Sanders’ self-described democratic socialism and his recent comments expressing admiration for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s push for education.“I am not looking forward to a scenario where it comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s and Bernie Sanders with a nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s,” Buttigieg declared.But the moderates did little to draw separation among themselves, a dynamic that has so far only benefited the Vermont senator. “Vladimir Putin thinks Donald Trump should be president of the United States and that’s why Russia is helping you get elected so you lose to him,” the former New York mayor said.Last week, Sanders acknowledged that he’d be been briefed by intelligence officials who said that Russia is attempting to interfere in the elections to benefit him. He responded to Bloomberg on Tuesday with a direct statement for Putin: “Hey, Mr. Putin, if I’m president of the United States, trust me you’re not going to interfere in any more American elections.’” But the skepticism for Sanders was a constant.Buttigieg raised concerns that a Sanders nomination would cost Democrats the House and make it harder to retake the Senate.“We’re not going to win these critical, critical House and Senate races if people in those races have to explain why the nominee of the Democratic Party is telling people to look at the bright side of the Castro regime,” Buttigieg said.And Bloomberg said Sanders wouldn’t be able to build a winning coalition that includes Republicans unhappy with Trump’s performance in the White House.“Can anyone in this room imagine moderate Republican going over and voting for him,” he said.